Guide

ABSTRACT

A guide for controlling the direction of movement of a flexible member, such as a garden hose. The guide features a pair of vertically disposed rollers journaled on an anchor rod and a steady anchor rod above a downwardly curved base plate through which the anchor rods extend, and a third roller journaled on a &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;bend-over&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; upper end of the anchor rod such as to overlie a hose retaining space between the pair of vertically disposed rollers. The third roller cooperates with the roller journaled on the steady anchor rod to define a horizontally arranged access opening through which a hose may be removably threaded into the hose retaining space, and serves as a convenient hand grip for removably inserting the anchor rods into the ground.

United States Patent 11 1 Less 1451 Aug. 13, 1974 GUIDE [76] lnventor: Raymond L. Less, 478 Groundly St.,

North Tonawanda, NY. 14150 [22] Filed: Mar. 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 230,850

52 US. Cl f. 254/190 0 Primary ExaminerRichard A. Schacher Assistant Examiner-D0uglas D. Watts Attorney, Agent, or Firm-'-Bean & Bean [5 7] ABSTRACT A guide for controlling the direction of movement of a flexible member, such as a garden hose. The guide features a pair of vertically disposed rollers journaled on an anchor rod and a steady anchor rod above a downwardly curved base plate through which the anchor rods extend, and a third roller journaled on a bend-over upper end of the anchor rod such as to overlie a hose retaining space between the pair of vertically disposed rollers. The third roller cooperates with the roller journaled on the steady anchor rod to define a horizontally arranged access opening through which a hose may be removably threaded into the hose retaining space, and serves as a convenient hand grip for removably inserting the anchor rods into the ground.

7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures GUIDE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a guide for use in controlling movement of a flexible member, such as a garden hose, and more particularly constitutes an improvement over prior guides disclosed for instance in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,831,306; 2,846,189 and 2,974,933.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a guide including a pair of vertically disposed rollers journaled on an anchor rod and a steady anchor rod above a base plate through which the anchor rods extend, and a third roller journaled on a bent-over upper end of the anchor rod such as to overlie a retaining space disposed between the pair of vertically disposed rollers. The third roller cooperates with the vertically disposed roller journaled on the steady anchor rod to define a restricted access opening through which a hose may be threaded for insertion into the retaining space, and serves to define a convenient hand grip for forcing the anchor rods into or removing same from the ground. The orientation of the several rollersserves to effectively prevent a guided member from being unintentionally pulled outwardly through the access opening during use, while permitting a user to quickly insert or remove the member when desired.-

In. a preferred construction, the roller journaled on the steady anchor rod has an axial length less than the roller journaled on the anchor rod, the axis of the third roller is arranged at an included angle of greater than 90 relative to the roller journaled on the anchor rod, and the third roller has its outer end arranged to overlie the upper end of the roller journaled on the steady anchor rod. Also, in a preferred form of the present invention, the base plate is formed with downwardly curved marginal edges in order to permit member enlargements, such as hose couplings, to slide over the base plate without snagging.

DRAWINGS The nature and mode of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the guide in use;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the access opening side of the guide.

Reference is now made particularly to FIG. 1, wherein the guide of the present invention is generally designated as 10, and shown as being anchored in ground 12 for the purpose of controlling change in the direction of movement of a flexible member in the form of a garden hose 14, including for instance a section coupling 16 and a discharge nozzle 18. Although the present guide is particularly intended for use with garden hoses, it is contemplated'that it may be used in guiding other flexible members, including electrical cachor or first rod 26 and a steady anchor or second rod 28, respectively, and with downwardly curved marginal edges 30 arranged essentially parallel to a line drawn through apertures 22 and 24. Anchor rods 26 and 26 are preferably formed of metal and may be suitably fixed within apertures 22 and 24, as by welding or by a swaging operation.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the lengthwise dimension of the lower end portion of rod 28, which is disposed below plate 20, is substantially less than that of the lower end portion of rod 26. By this construction, rod 28 is effective in preventing rotation or tipping of guide about rod 26 during operation, while offering a minimum of interference to the full insertion of 'rod 26 into the ground.

The upper end portion of rod 26 is bent intermediate its ends to define a vertically upstanding first portion 32, which is disposed essentially parallel to the upper end portion 34 of rod 28; and a second portion 36, which extends from first portion 32 in an overlying relationship relative to plate 20 and terminates in a free end preferably arranged vertically above and horizontally outwardly beyond the upper end of portion 34.

In a preferred form of the invention, first, second and third roller devices 40, 42 and 44 are journaled on first portion 32, end portion 34 and second portion 36, respectively. While roller devices 40, 42 and 44 may be of any desired construction and mounted in any suitable manner, they are shown in FIG. 2 for purposes of illustration as being of through bored, cup shaped molded plastic construction, wherein their open ends are friction fitted with metal disc bearings 46. The roller devices may be constrained from excessive axial movement relative to their supports by suitable means, such as friction nuts or washers 48. The spacing between adjacent ends of roller devices 40 and 44 and the spacing between the lower ends of roller devices 40 and 42 and the upper surface of plate 20 is less than the minimum transverse dimension of the flexible member being guided, that is for instance the outside diameter of the-flexible conduit portion of hose 14.

Also, the preferred form of guide 10 is characterized by a construction wherein roller device 42 has an axial length less than that of roller device 40; the rotational axes and thus the guide surfaces of roller devices 40 and 44 are disposed at an included angle of greater than and the length of roller device 44 is greater than the distance between roller devices 40 and 42, whereby its outer end is disposed horizontally outwardly beyond roller 42, as best shown in FIG. 2. With this construction, roller devices 42 and 44 cooperate to define a horizontally open access opening 50 sized to permit the flexible member to be threaded into or removed from a vertically elongated member receiving space 52,'which is vertically bounded by roller device 44 and plate 20 and horizontally bounded by roller devices 40 and 42. An' included angle of about has i been found sufficient to prevent wedging of the hose within the nip defined roller devices 40 and 44 when the flexible member is given a hard yank or pull during use, while permitting roller device 44 to be used as a convenient hand grip for removably inserting rods 26 and 28 into the ground.

In use, a guide 10 is ground anchored at each point at which a controlled change of direction of the flexible member is desired, such as for instance adjacent an obstacle in the form of a shrub. In doing so, care is exercised to orient the guide such that the flexible member will be trained about roller device 40, as indicated in FIG. 1. Then, the flexible member is threaded through opening 50 and lowered into supporting engagement with plate 20. During use, the flexible member will normally be disposed in its phantom line position designated as 14a in FIG. 2. Vertical or sidewise displacement of the flexible member, as a result of a hard yank or whipping of the flexible member, will be limited by engagement thereof with roller devices 44 and 42, respectively, as indicated at phantom line as 14b and 14c. The downwardly curved marginal edges of plate serve to prevent snagging of flexible member enlargement, such as coupling 16 or nozzle 18, when the latter are pulled through the guide.

I claim:

1. A guide for controlling the direction of movement along the ground of a flexible elongated member, which comprises:

first and second essentially vertically extending,

spaced apart guide means; an essentially horizontally disposed base portion for joining said guide means adjacent lower ends thereof; ground anchor means extending vertically below said base portion; and third guide means having one end supported adjacent an upper end of first guide means, said third guide means being disposed to extend in an overlying relationship to said base portion and having an other end thereof fixedly maintained in a spaced'apart overlying relationship relative to an upper end of said second guide means for defining in cooperation with said upper end of said second guide means a fixed size horizontally open access opening dimensioned to freely accommodate said flexible member for threading into a flexible member retaining space horizontally bounded by said first and second guide means and vertically bounded by said base portion and said third guide means, and said third guide means defining a hand grip for removably inserting said anchor means in the ground.

2. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said upper end of said second guide means is disposed relatively below said upper end of said first guide means, and said third guide means forms an included angle with said first guide means of greater than 3. A guide according to claim 2, wherein said other end of said third guide means is disposed horizontally outwardly beyond said second guide means.

4. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said third guide means forms an included angle with said first guide means of greater than 90 and has said other end disposed horizontally outwardly beyond said second guide means.

5. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said third guide means has said other end thereof disposed outwardly beyond said second guide means, and said upper end of said second guide means is disposed relatively below said upper end of said first guide means.

6. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said anchor means includes first and second rods fixed to and extending vertically through said base portion, said rods having lower end portions extending vertically below said base portion for insertion into the ground and having upper end portions extending vertically above said base portion, said upper end portion of said first rod being bent intermediate its ends to define a first portion vertically upstanding from said base portion and a second portion extending in an overlying relationship relative to said base portion and said upper end of said second guide means, and said first and third guide means are first and third roller devices journaled on said first and second portions of said first rod, respectively.

7. A guide according to claim 5, wherein said second guide means is a second roller device journaled on an upper end portion of said second rod, an upper end of said second roller device is disposed relatively below an upper end of said first roller device, said first and second portions of said first rod being oriented to position rotational axes of said first and third roller devices at an included angle of greater than 90, and said third roller device extends horizontally outwardly beyond said second roller device.

UNITED STATES CERTIFICATE Dated August 13, 1974 Patent No. ,065

Raymond L. v Less Inventor (s) It is certified that error appears the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 7: line 3-3, "claim 5"- should read claim "6 Signed an d sealed this 22nd d9 .y of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY M. GIBSONJR. Attesting Officer C. MARSHALL DANN Commissioner of Patents USCOMM'DC 60376-P69 U,5 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 9 9

F ORM PC3-1050 (10-69) 

1. A guide for controlling the direction of movement along the ground of a flexible elongated member, which comprises: first and second essentially vertically extending, spaced apart guide means; an essentially horizontally disposed base portion for joining said guide means adjacent lower ends thereof; ground anchor means extending vertically below said base portion; and third guide means having one end supported adjacent an upper end of first guide means, said third guide means being disposed to extend in an overlying relationship to said base portion and having an other end thereof fixedly maintained in a spaced apart overlying relationship relative to an upper end of said second guide means for defining in cooperation with said upper end of said second guide means a fixed size horizontally open access opening dimensioned to freely accommodate said flexible member for threading into a flexible member retaining space horizontally bounded by said first and second guide means and vertically bounded by said base portion and said third guide means, and said third guide means defining a hand grip for removably inserting said anchor means in the ground.
 2. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said upper end of said second guide means is disposed relatively below said upper end of said first guide means, and said third guide means forms an included angle with said first guide means of greater than 90*.
 3. A guide according to claim 2, wherein said other end of said third guide means is disposed horizontally outwardly beyond said second guide means.
 4. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said third guide means forms an included angle with said first guide means of greater than 90* and has said other end disposed horizontally outwardly beyond said second guide means.
 5. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said third guide means has said other end thereof disposed outwardly beyond said second guide means, and said upper end of said second guide means is disposed relatively below said upper end of said first guide means.
 6. A guide according to claim 1, wherein said anchor means includes first and second rods fixed to and extending vertically through said base portion, said rods having lower end portions extending vertically below said base portion for insertion into the ground and having upper end portions extending vertically above said base portion, said upper end portion of said first rod being bent intermediate its ends to define a first portion vertically upstanding from said base portion and a second portion extending in an overlying relationship relative to said base portion and said upper end of said second guide means, and said first and third guide means are first and third roller devices journaled on said first and second portions of said first rod, respectively.
 7. A guide according to claim 5, wherein said second guide means is a second roller device journaled on an upper end portion of said second rod, an upper end of said second roller device is disposed relatively below an upper end of said first roller device, said first and second portions of said first rod being oriented to position rotational axes of said first and third roller devices at an included angle of greater than 90*, and said third roller device extends horizontally outwardly beyond said second roller device. 